The Air Force had planned flights near the city months ago, a spokeswoman said.
The Air Force on Friday said a military surveillance plane that circled Portland this week was not monitoring protesters, a denial that comes as federal agents tasked with quelling protests against police brutality continue to put the city on edge.
In a statement to Forbes, Wyden said the Air Force “should know better than to fly circles over American cities when armed federal troops are beating and gassing protesters below.” He added that “even if this was a test flight arranged months ago, the Air Force’s decision to continue as planned, rather than delaying the flight, raises serious questions about the judgement of the military leaders who approved the flight.
